


Lend a Hand

by Electrikatty



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Crying, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Logan Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, Patton Needs a Hug, Patton just wants everyone to be happy, Roman needs a hug, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Sickfic, Stress, Virgil needs a hug, and is also the sponsor for the mental health awareness club, dr picani teaches psychology, they're all friends in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 02:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15787101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrikatty/pseuds/Electrikatty
Summary: Logan's overworking himself, Roman's stressed about his part in the winter play, Virgil's experiencing art block, and Patton's just trying to hold them all together. What happens when he's so focused on everyone else he forgets to check on himself?~~~This is kinda a 4+1 where it's four times Patton helped his friends and one time they all helped him. Hope you enjoy! <3





	1. Logan is Stressed™

**Author's Note:**

> Hihi! Thanks for taking a look at this little idea I had! I came up with this randomly during class and quickly jotted it down on my phone, and it kinda blew up lol. Let me know if I made any errors, and I hope you enjoy!

Patton shivered as the late November air slammed against his body, but he raced to catch up with his friend. His glasses might have fogged up with the sudden temperature change, but he could still easily pick Logan out of the crowd of teenagers waiting for parents to pick them up and friends to walk home with. 

Normally, he’d be among them, waiting to walk with Virgil to the nearby local library that Patton volunteered at most afternoons. Today though, Patton had emailed his boss and said he had an important assignment he needed to focus on and couldn’t come in that afternoon. Of course, she was perfectly fine with him missing to focus on his grades, replying to his nice paragraph to explain his circumstance with a simple, “K -Harper.” 

Patton wasn’t completely honest with why he was missing work, but it wasn’t a total lie either. He really did have homework he needed to do! But his main “assignment” was to make sure Logan didn’t overwork himself with studying for exams that weren’t coming for another month. The pattern was the same every semester: Logan took really advanced classes, Patton worried, Logan worked way harder than he needed to, Patton worried more, Logan burned himself out right before exams and panicked, and Patton helped him calm down and take care of himself. 

Now that they were seniors, Patton easily caught the bag’s under Logan’s eyes that nearly rivaled Virgil’s (poor kid, he had insomnia; Patton reminded himself to stay with him one day to help him sleep) as he focused all his attention on the gargantuan Physics textbook that sat on his equally-gigantic Latin IV textbook. Patton had thrown a text at Logan asking if he wanted to study together that afternoon while he was packing up to leave his last class of the day (Digital photography! To take even better pictures of his wonderful friends!), but he had a sneaking suspicion that Logan had ducked (quack) out of the school without looking at his phone.

So there he was, running out of the school with his bag covered in many different colored pins, bracelets, and ribbons bouncing off of him with each step he slammed on the ground, hoping his friend hadn’t already left. His lungs burned as he rushed to Logan’s parking spot.

Sure enough, the rear lights of Logan’s car were lit up, and the vehicle began to slowly back up, waiting for other students to move out of the way. Patton picked up the pace and nearly slammed his face into the passenger window before Logan spotted him. Patton swore he heard Logan make an unmanly squeak at his sudden appearance, but he’d never say anything about it. It still made him giggle as he struggled for air he desperately needed. Logan rolled down the passenger window.

“Jee-muh-nattie! What in heaven’s name put you in such a hurry? Are you alright, Patton?” Logan asked, bewilderment laced in with his concern. 

Patton laughed again, which was interrupted by a couple of coughs (goodness, it’s chilly!) before managing to say between pants, “Check your phone, silly!”

Logan rose a brow at him as he pulled his phone out of his fancy-shmancy shirt pocket. He glanced away from the device before pocketing it back in place, “I apologize for not noticing your text. I regret to say I have been slightly absent-minded as of late.” Patton straightened up as he finally caught his breath, looking hopefully at his friend. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to us being....” his gaze found Patton’s as he scoffed lightheartedly, “ _ study buddies  _ for the afternoon.”

Patton immediately lit up as Logan gestured for him to hop in his car. Patton grinned at Logan as he maneuvered to exit the parking lot. “I’m so happy! It’s been  _ so boring  _ with all the work I’ve had recently, but I knew that if we worked together-”

“Patt, please-”

“-we could make sure our spirits don’t get too lo-”

“Don’t you da-”

“-gan.”

Logan faced Patton when he stopped at a stop sign. While his squinted eyes seemed annoyed, Logan’s small smirk gave away his pleasure at his friend’s cheerful disposition. He couldn’t ever be mad at Patton, especially when his friend had his hands cupped around his mouth and nose to hide his smile, but the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes gave him away completely. Despite this, Logan said, “I  _ can  _ change my mind.”

Patton replied without a moment’s hesitation like he’s been holding onto this particular joke all day, “That’d be disa-patton-ing.”

Logan couldn’t help but chuckle as he pressed on the gas. He hoped his enthusiasm would remain infectious the entire afternoon.

~*~*~*~*~

Logan was powerless to halt the negative feelings racing through his mind.

It was nearing eight pm, which was hour four of Logan’s studying for the day. Patton was less focused on working, but he was doing his best to keep the mood light with his Spotify playlist, called “Upbeat,” and his encouraging reminders. The effect he had on Logan was lessening as the night grew darker, though.

Logan was sat at his desk. Everything had its place at his desk; he felt calmer being able to work there with the reassurance that if he needed a highlighter or a ruler, he could reach without thinking and it’d be in his grasp. He knew it might seem odd to some, but he liked having that control. 

Patton, on the other hand, was lying on the floor on his chest and doodling in the margins of his math homework that he had long since finished. All the stuff he had brought from school was scattered across the floor. The contents of his pencil pouch were splayed around as he had lost his pencil in it. It tended to get buried under all the colored pencils he carried. 

Logan didn’t mind Patton’s chaos. It was reassuring in an odd way that Logan couldn’t quite explain. He had a way with words, except when it came to explaining feelings. They always eluded him. 

When he reached out absentmindedly and just grasped at air, he could feel this negative emotion sweep over him.

He froze. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand what was overcoming him. He knew it was bad. Other than that, he was lost.

“Lo?”

Logan quickly looked at Patton, startled. Logan could see that emotions were swirling through Patton, but he couldn’t quite pick out what they were. They weren’t exactly negative, but they weren’t positive either. What emotion could that possibly be? Then it hit him.

Patton was concerned. About him.

Logan cleared his throat and straightened in his chair, “My apologies if I concerned you, Patton. I’m alright. I was just… confused when I couldn’t find the writing implement I needed.”

Patton smiled at him with worry still in his eyes. “That’s okay,” he said as he rose to his feet and stretched, “Maybe that’s our sign that we should take a break. We should make some dinner; I’d love to cook for you!” Patton looked at Logan again. “You certainly deserve it.”

Logan’s eyes trailed to the floor as a new emotion swirled within him. He could feel it gnawing at his heart, which was weird. Logan felt lost in his own mind.

Patton carefully stepped over his mess and picked up his laptop off the floor. He took a seat on Logan’s bed next to his friend. He crossed his legs as he waited patiently for Logan’s reply.

Logan eventually croaked out, “I’m... sorry, but it’d be best if I continue working. I can’t afford to waste any time.” His gaze held steady on a stray color pencil on the floor. He liked its color: a light orange.

Logan heard Patton typing quickly on his keyboard, seemingly with a purpose. He wasn’t sure what his friend was up to; he was more focused on picking apart this strange feeling.

“‘Taking breaks every 45-60 minutes while studying is beneficial to the mind.’”

_ What _ ? That got Logan’s attention. He raised his head up, looking at the stickers on Patton’s computer rather than his face. His mind said looking at Patton was a bad idea, for whatever reason. He listened.

Patton continued, “‘Studying for far longer than is necessary can cause your brain to “short-circuit” in a way. It’ll stop taking in information and cause frustration. Taking breaks may seem illogical, but there are actually many benefits to taking ten minutes to let your mind relax. It helps return focus and motivation to the learning process.’” Patton looked up from his computer and at Logan’s face which was still focused on the color pencil. “It makes sense for you to take a break. You don’t have to feel ashamed that you’re exhausted.”

_ Oh _ .

He was ashamed.

Logan decided that made sense. He didn’t want to look at Patton, his face was warm from a blush he had no idea from where it came, and he felt negative. He was ashamed.

Logan finally locked eyes with Patton. Patton, who he had known since they were children. Who understood his need for reason and order even though Patton himself much preferred to let his emotions take control. Who was way too good for him.

Logan felt his eyes water. He was overcome with so many emotions, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He buried his face in his hands as his shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Patton managed to guide Logan from his desk chair onto his bed. He rubbed Logan’s back as the latter tried to calm himself, but it seemed the tears would never stop.

After a few minutes of sitting and watching Logan cry, Patton quietly spoke up, “Logan? Can I hold your hands?”

Logan nodded and wiped at his face with his hands before removing them. He tried to wipe them harshly on his pants as if the motion would make these deplorable feelings go away, but Patton reached for them before he could wipe away all his snot and tears. Logan kept his gaze on his blanket.

“Logan, you are one of the smartest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, which is why it’s always astonishing and confusing to me when you feel you need to… to  _ do  _ this to yourself.” Patton rubbed circles on the back of Logan’s hands. The more distraught of the two found the repetition to be soothing. “You don’t need to prove yourself to  _ anyone _ . There’s  _ no  _ shame in taking care of yourself. And Lo?”

Logan took that as his queue to look at Patton. His eyes weren’t just concerned; they were passionate and adoring and full of so much love. “I am _ so proud  _ of you.”

Logan crumbled. He needed to hear those words for so long and to hear such sincerity in Patton’s voice, it broke him. He may say that his parents always being on business trips didn’t bother him, but he really did need the reassurance that he was good enough. Patton always knew exactly what he needed to hear.

Patton let go of his hands in favor of guiding his friend into his arms. He leaned Logan’s head into the crook of his neck, running his hand through his hair. He rubbed his other hand in calming circles on Logan’s back as he gently rocked him, humming whatever song was playing from his computer.

They stayed like that for a while, but nobody was keeping track of the specifics. Patton was completely content with holding onto Logan for however long he needed. Of course, his friend being upset was terrible, but Patton believed it to be much better than bottling everything up to explode later. He was always glad he could help Logan through his emotions.

A few minutes after Logan had been reduced to quiet hiccups and sniffles, he pushed himself off of Patton just enough to be able to look at him. His exhaustion outweighed the shame he felt at his outburst, at that moment.

Patton smiled at him, “Hey, Lo. You feeling any better?”

Logan took a moment to respond. He took a deep breath as he reached for the words to explain how he was feeling. “I feel like… I just woke up from a nap I didn’t mean to take… at three in the morning.”

Patton chuckled lightly, “Well, you must have needed it.” He ran his hands up and down Logan’s arms as the latter pulled away. “What do you say I make us some spaghetti for dinner? I know how much you love it.”

Logan looked up at Patton, feeling warmth fill him again. He gave a small smile and quietly said, “I think... I’d like that.”

Patton nodded with a grin and took one of Logan’s hands in his own to guide him downstairs. Logan was sat at the dining table where he could watch Patton cook in the kitchen. Patton unlocked his phone (even though they both knew Logan knew his passcode) and opened the puzzle game he kept on there just for Logan. It was challenging enough to keep him busy but still light enough to not stress him out. Patton set it down in front of his friend as he made his way into the kitchen to find the makings for spaghetti. Patton didn’t need Logan to show him where the ingredients were; they’d known each other for long enough that this scenario was not at all unusual. Patton rolled up the sleeves of his sweater with a smirk and got to work. 

Logan pretended he was distracted by the game, but he was more focused on watching Patton move around his kitchen with practiced ease, effortlessly finding everything he needed. He recalled all the times Patton had made him food before; he used to feel… ashamed of someone else feeling the need to cook for him. He felt it came from a place of pity. Now, Logan knew it came from a place of love. Logan smiled as he quietly watched his friend, wondering what he did to have such light in his life.


	2. Roman Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman pays Patton a visit at work! Patton's glad to see his friend, of course, but something was off...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman gave me tons of trouble to write! His character is so hard for me to pick apart for some odd reason. Regardless, I hope this chapter turned out alright. I'm quite proud of it at some points. Hope you enjoy!

“I get this question all the time, so it’s no problem!” Patton said to the mother who had inquired about a book suggestion for her sixth grader. “It’s understandable to worry about what your child’s reading when they’re growing up. You want them to learn more outside of the children’s section, but there’s some content you don’t want them to see quite yet.”

The mother nodded in slight surprise. “Yes, exactly! She’s so young, but I do have to let her grow; it’d be wrong not to let her. Sometimes I just feel a little lost,” she admitted quietly, looking down at her daughter.

Patton grinned to ease her awkward feelings, “There’s nothing wrong with admitting you need a little help.” The mother looked back up at Patton with a small smile. “I have plenty of recommendations for books she can read. I can even show you some websites you can use to look up more books for her to read in the future.”

Her eyes widened, and she asked, “There are websites for that sort of thing?”

Patton nodded enthusiastically, “The internet is such a fascinating tool! I like to take as much advantage of that as I can,” he said with a thumbs up. He cleared his throat and added, “Google helps too.”

The mother laughed. She looked down at her child, “You ready to find some books to read?”

The child grinned brightly, “Yes, mama!”

Patton held back a squeal of delight at how adorable this girl was, and he was so proud of her desire to read and learn. What a bright child!

A few minutes later, the child, who Patton later learned was named Felicity (“but most people call me Fifi because it’s cute!”), had an armful of books where she sat next to her mother. Patton was just finishing up showing her the website for a book recommendation guide for parents.

“This is so wonderful! I’m definitely going to be using this. Thank you so much…” she trailed off, looking away from the computer and to the teen volunteer.

He grinned. “Patton,” he said with a nod.

“Thank you, Patton. You are so kind to help us,” Felicity’s mom finished with a smile.

Patton flushed a little at the praise and rubbed the back of his neck, “I just like to do whatever I can to help, ma’am. I hope I haven’t been too suffocating.” He chuckled.

The mother stood and turned to him after signing off of the lab computer. “Not at all! You’ve been nothing but wonderful. I’ll be sure to brag about you to my friends.”

Patton’s face reddened even more. “Y-you don’t have to do that! I don’t do this for brownie points.” His eyes grew wide with an idea. He grinned, “However...” He stepped behind the teen department main desk and grabbed something from under it, hiding the small item behind his back; he’d apologize to Harper once she got back from her break. He returned and got to eye level with Felicity. She stared at him, wide-eyed and full of curiosity. Patton revealed the secret to her, a brownie bundled in Saran wrap. “Brownies do tend to make everything better.”

Felicity’s face lit up with joy as she was handed the treat. Patton was glad she liked brownies but was still worried about her mother’s reaction to this teenager giving her child sugar. He looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see her smiling. He quietly sighed in relief as he straightened up, only to be tackled by the child into a hug.

Patton first quickly glanced at Felicity’s mom to make sure this interaction was okay to happen. When she nodded with a chuckle, he hugged the kid back. This was his favorite part of working at the library. He loved to make the kids happy.

When Felicity pulled away, she looked up at the teenager and grinned, “Thanks, Mr. Patton!”

Patton felt so incredibly warm inside as he smiled back at her. “You’re welcome, kiddo!”

Eventually, after plenty of waves, Patton was alone in the department again, shelving books and fixing displays. He couldn’t pull the grin off his face if he tried. He was so darn glad that the day was so good. Not even the rude kids who came after school could rain on his parade.

“Patton, how do you continue to stay so pure?”

Patton startled slightly out of his reverie. He turned to the direction the familiar voice came from and saw… “Roman!”

Roman stood next to Patton in his signature demeanor: coordinated outfit, styled hair, and makeup so on point that the wings could kill. He looked, as the prince himself often told, “gay and ready to slay.” His posture, on the other hand, was relaxed. His face held a sort of soft happiness and calm. His arms were held out as an invitation for Patton to hug him. And hug him he did.

Patton loved Roman’s hugs. The aspiring thespian was taller and bulkier than him, so he felt safe in his arms. He smelled like roses and setting powder and was incredibly cuddly. Roman made Patton feel like royalty.

Patton pulled away to look up at Roman. “It’s so good to see you! What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see my favorite cuddle bug, that’s all,” Roman said with a sly grin, knowing how his nicknames affected the other.

Sure enough, Patton was a mess of bright red and giggles. He was the one who normally gave endearing nicknames and hugs, so when Roman had decided to mimic Patton’s habits one day at lunch and saw how brilliantly flustered the librarian became, he kept doing it. Although all the interactions were platonic in nature, Patton would always flush and stutter. He adored the affection.

“You’re so silly!” Patton said and lightly slapped Roman’s arm with the ends of his sweater sleeves (he loved his sweater paws).

Roman scoffed in mock hurt. “You wound me, Patton! I came all this way to visit you, and you mock me?” Roman pouted, but only lasted a few moments before Patton’s giggles became too infectious to hold back his own.

They continued their light banter as Roman assisted Patton in shelving the last of the materials. Patton was glad to have the company. Most days, he enjoyed the peace he felt in the library, but sometimes the quiet just felt lonely. He was glad to have Roman there with him to joke about cheesy romance novels with.

Patton shelved the last item, a DVD, on a low shelf and fell on his back with a content sigh. “All done!” He lay on his back and closed his eyes, tired from the busy day. He only rested for a moment though before he sat up suddenly and sneezed, effectively spooking Roman.

“Great googly-moogly! Bless you,” Roman said as he held out a hand to help Patton up.

He took his hand gratefully. “Thank you. I have no idea where that came from.” Patton looked at Roman sheepishly. “That probably startled me just as much as it startled you.”

Roman shook his head, “No way, Padre. That noise will follow me into my nightmares.”

“Aww, Ro!”

Patton eventually clocked out, said goodbye to his boss, and left the library with Roman. His friend had offered they go to his house, which Patton was always glad to do. The car ride was filled with musicals and Estelle.

Patton enjoyed Roman’s house because it was so full of life, although Roman would describe it as nothing short of obnoxious (in an endearing way). Younger siblings ran around the place, leaving trails of toilet paper and crayon marks on the walls wherever they went. You could easily locate them since they never seemed to stop squealing. Roman’s family also had two dogs, one black lab mutt named Zuri and a Yorkie-looking-mutt named Yoyo, and one white cat named Duchess.

So naturally, when they walked through the door, chaos ensued.

“Ro-Ro! Patty! Hi!”

“You’re home!”

“Patty, did you bring candy?”

The teenagers were pounced on by kids and dogs alike. Patton almost fell over with the suddenness of it all (he remembered fondly when he had come over the first time and actually did tumble). Patton giggled happily and said hi to all of Roman’s siblings and gave pets to all his dogs. Roman managed to tug Patton away from the cheerful crowd and upstairs to his room but not without some protest.

When Patton and Roman got together, it was non-stop conversation for a good while. They would retell stories of things that had happened to them (“There was a pie on the _ceiling_! I told him the twins were too young to cook but did he listen? Noooo!”), talk about latest installments of their favorite shows, and what they thought of the happenings in the world around them. When Roman's cat came into the room, Patton picked up the feline and called Roman "the cat's meow!" If they ran out of things to say, they sang Disney songs. They were singing “Un Poco Loco” (which was made even funnier with Patton’s broken Spanish) when Roman’s mom called them down for dinner, where Roman’s siblings’ excited chatter filled the air as they ate.

Eventually, Patton and Roman were lying on the latter’s bed, bellies full of warmth and listening to the muffled noises of activity in the house. Patton enjoyed being able to just enjoy being in the presence of his friends. Sometimes, there wasn’t a need for words.

Until there was.

“I’m bored,” Patton whined, elongating the ‘o’ sound as he slid off the bed. Roman chuckled from where he still lay as Patton landed not-so-gracefully on his rear. He looked around Roman’s room. There were fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and theatre posters on the walls. The carpet under Patton’s feet was soft, and the contents of Roman’s bag had been dumped unceremoniously onto it. The notebooks and pens Roman used were always bright and covered in wonderful patterns and stickers. Patton noticed a bunch of papers stapled together that stood out from the rest, but Patton gasped when he realized.

“Is this your script?” Patton cried as he snatched it from the pile. He began to scan the first page. It was titled _The Universal Language_ , and it’s description said it was one of the six-act plays in one big show called _All in the Timing_. There was a name circled at the top of the page in Roman’s swirly handwriting: Don.

Roman scrambled off his bed to sit next to Patton and take the script from him. “Yes, and you can’t look! There are spoilers!”

Patton pouted, “I don’t care! I wanna read it!”

Roman held the paper high in the air out of his friend’s reach. “Uh-uh. I can’t let you.”

“Let me be proud of you!” Patton whined as he reached for the paper even though he knew his efforts were futile. Stupid short arms. Regardless, he giggled and looked at Roman. Then he noticed.

It would have been hard to see if you didn’t know Roman. He was an actor, for goodness sake. He had the skill to put on a facade, to put on a show. Patton could tell, though, by the way that Roman looked at the script he held in the air for a little too long and the way his smile was perfect and symmetrical. Patton knew that Roman had a naturally-lopsided grin.

Patton reached forward and cupped either side of Roman’s face with his hands to make his friend look at him. He scrutinized his face, eyes squinted and humming to himself. Roman looked at him, entirely baffled and suddenly feeling very awkward. Roman grinned at Patton to try to appease him, which worked because Patton leaned back and said contently, “There’s my Ro-Ro!”

“Wha-do-ya mean? I’ve been here the whole time!” Roman said as he leaned out of Patton’s hold with a grand gesture to the room, still holding the script in one hand. “You doing alright, Padre?”

Patton nodded and pointed at himself, “I am, but what about,” he poked Roman in the chest, “you?”

Roman cocked a brow and scoffed at that. “Me? I’m doing great! I got the part in the play-”

“-that you didn’t tell me anything about even though auditions were weeks ago?” Patton cut off with a shy look and blush spreading across his cheeks. He felt bad for interrupting, but he had to get his point across. “When it had been a couple of weeks since you auditioned, I just assumed you hadn’t gotten the part and didn’t want to talk about it. I know how much you wanted to be in _All in the Timing_ , let alone play Don. So,” he paused, then asked, “What happened?”

Roman felt the energy to keep up the act drain out of him, and he slumped like a deadweight against the side of his bed. He slouched as he slid on the floor. He sighed, unable to look Patton in the eye, and said, “I’m not sure, Patt. I mean- you know how much my heart ached to have this part! When I first discovered _All in the Timing,_ I thought to myself, ‘Wow! How amazing it is that you can have two people speaking absolute gibberish and create an emotional, romantic story from it!’” Patton nodded, encouraging him to go on. “Then I learned our school was going to do it for our winter play, so I decided that even if I didn’t get to play my favorite character, I could at least have the experience of being in the play at all. I auditioned, and got the part… for Don, my favorite character.” Roman seemed to deflate even more. “I know I should be happy, and at first I was! I even excused myself to the restroom to do a little… celebratory jig.” They both laughed lightly. Roman continued, “But then I thought, ‘I can’t mess this up! This is such a good part, I can’t _taint_ it with my insufficient acting ability or, or-”

Roman stopped talking with a gasp as Patton grabbed both his hands and laced their fingers together. He easily recognized the fiery determination and intensity that had replaced the patience from just moment’s before. Roman was suddenly paralyzed under his friend’s passionate gaze.

“Roman,” Patton began, “I always marvel at your natural affinity and talent for acting. When I watch you on stage, you _glow_. I don’t often see you more at peace and so happy. Being on stage is your element.” Roman flushed, but he couldn’t look away. “You are so exuberant and romantic and even silly that everything comes to you so naturally when it comes to acting. And from what I know about Don, he’s a perfect match for you.”

Roman gave Patton a watery smile as he sat up. “How do you always know exactly what I need to hear, padre?”

Tears leaked from both of their eyes, and Patton enveloped him in his loving arms. He gave Roman as much time as he needed as they lay against the side of the mattress and each other. Patton felt his friend relax against him with a heavy sigh. He let himself relax too.

Truth be told, Patton knew something was up when Roman approached him at the library. He had spotted his friend sitting in a corner that was normally out of sight and pretending to read a book as he had been helping Felicity and her mom. Patton may not have noticed if he hadn’t been working there for so long, but he had become aware of all the patrons that entered and left his department. He noticed how he sat, stiff and worrying his lip between his teeth. He played along with Roman and let his friend approach him when he was ready.

As they had been hanging out that evening, Patton brought up many different topics to see what would set him off to find the root of his discomfort. It hadn’t been family, friends, school, or politics that upset him; when Patton spotted the script in the pile of scattered supplies, everything clicked.

They stayed like that for a while until Roman pulled away and wiped at his face with his sleeve. “Goodness me, Patt. Sorry about that,” he said as his gaze drifted to the tear stains on Patton’s sweater.

Patton giggled as he looked down at it himself, stretching the sweater out. “Nah, don’t worry about it kiddo.” He looked back up. “I’m glad I could help you out.”

Roman smiled, but then his face lit up with a realization. Patton watched with confusion as his friend twisted away from him, grabbed the script, and jumped up suddenly. “I have another way you can help me!”

Patton perked up as he lifted himself back on the bed. He was slightly bewildered that the thespian had recovered so quickly, but he wasn’t about to protest his good mood. “How’s that?” he asked as Roman looked through his bookcase.

He grabbed a sizable book and brought it back to Patton, who took it. Patton read the title: _All in the Timing_ . Patton giggled; of course Roman had his own copy. “You can help me read lines. Turn to page 31!” he announced with a twirl as he set up for the scene. Patton chuckled as he found the page number and stood. He wondered- no, knew- that Roman already had _The Universal Language_ memorized if he could judge by all the pencil marks and highlights he saw on just the first page.

Patton read through the page quickly. He skipped the first few sentences of the other main character of the scene before he began, “Hello. My name is Dawn.”

Roman stepped forward, “Velcro!”

Patton bit back his laughter and continued, “Excuse me?”

“Velcro! Bell jar, Froyling! Harvardyu?” Just as expected, all of Roman’s lines just rolled off his tongue.

Patton was so proud of his scene partner, Roman. He didn’t let his insecurities drag him down for long, and when they did, he knew when he needed to ask for help. That was a very hard thing to do, and for that, Patton was thrilled.

Roman, on the other hand, was eternally grateful to have a friend like Patton. He didn’t grow at all uncomfortable in the presence of his emotional overload and took his tears in stride. As he read lines with Patton (who was pretty decent at acting for someone who didn’t pursue it), he tried to think of ways to repay him in the future.

“Ding!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can never have enough angst, huh? Don't worry, there plenty more where that came from. ;)  
> All in the Timing is a real play that I had the pleasure of being apart of the crew for. I got to glue a wig to a dude's head. He was twice my size. The wig had a toy ax in it. Good times.  
> See you guys next chapter! Love you!!

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment, please! I'd love to hear what you think! <3  
> Have a fantastic day! I love you!


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